THE JERSEYS, ALDERNEYS AND GUERNSEYS. 



(391 



The breadth and extent forward of this front escutcheon indicates the 

 capacity in the mature animal, of the front quarters of her udder. In 

 some cases .this front escutcheon vnW be found of twice the extent that 

 it is in others, and is evidence of that much more yield. 



This examination enables one to see the size of the teats and their 

 distance apart, and to test the looseness and softness of the udder skin. 

 It is marked precisely the same in bulls, and can be easily examined at 

 any age between one and ten months. 



Many think that the escutcheon of the bull is of little moment, so that 

 he has a good look. So far is this from being the.ca.se, that a bull with 

 a mirror like Fig. 4, or worse, will stamp his escutcheon on, and to that 

 extent damage, his daughters out of cows with escutcheons as choice as 



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GUERNSEY COW, CASSIOPEIA. 



Fig. 2. In this way the daughters of some of the best cows come very 

 ordinary, while, if you use a bull marked like Fig. 2, he will make a 

 poor escutcheon better, and will improve the best. His injury or benefit 

 will be doubled according to the escutcheon markings under the body m 

 front of his scrotum. Hence the importance of the dam of a bull being 

 unexceptionable in her udder and escutcheon. Her qualities inherited by 

 her son will be transmitted to his daughter. 



While careful as to escutcheons, we must not neglect the other essential 

 features of a good cow — the back, skin, hide, the rich colored skin, and 

 the fine bone. Let the hair be soft and thickly set, and let the skin be 

 mellow. This latter quality is easily determined by gi^^ping l^etween the 

 thumb and forefinger the skin at the rear of the ribs, or the double thick- 

 ness at the base of the flank that joins the stifle-joint to the body, or that 



